Jerry Sandusky case hits Gov. Tom Corbett

The fallout from the Jerry Sandusky scandal — the former Penn State assistant football coach was sentenced Tuesday to 30-60 years in prison — is reverberating through Pennsylvania politics, potentially spelling trouble for Gov. Tom Corbett’s 2014 reelection bid.

Pennsylvania Democrats have hit the governor for months, charging Corbett moved slowly on the Sandusky investigation when he was attorney general. Just last week, Democratic state lawmakers tried but failed to pass a resolution asking the U.S. attorney general’s office to review how the case was handled.

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Only 17 percent of Pennsylvanians think Corbett did a good or excellent job in handling the Sandusky case, according to a recent Franklin & Marshall poll. The criticism could hit him hardest in central-Pennsylvania, a GOP stronghold where Penn State is located and many voters remain skeptical of Corbett’s response, said G. Terry Madonna, a Franklin & Marshall political science professor who conducted the poll.

“It is potentially a problem for Gov. Corbett. The polls clearly show that there is voter concern about the way it was handled. It was done on his watch,” Madonna said. “You have to get into the whole ball of wax: Did he go slow? Were victims hurt? Did he play politics with it?”

In a statement to POLITICO Tuesday afternoon, Corbett said he did things right — not wrong.

“Some things are bigger than politics. Justice for Jerry Sandusky’s victims is one of them. Because we did things right, Sandusky was convicted on 45 of 48 criminal counts and, today, a judge took this serial predator off the street for life,” Corbett said.

As for his Democratic critics?

“They can’t change the facts of the case after the fact,” he said.

Josh Shapiro, Montgomery County Commissioners chairman who has been mentioned as a potential Corbett opponent, said the governor has left questions unanswered hanging over his head about how he handled the Sandusky case.

“How could it have lingered for so long in the attorney general’s office without getting the proper attention? Once he became a trustee at the university, how could he have not blown the whistle on this? I’m not accusing him of anything, but these are serious questions that need to be answered,” Shapiro told POLITICO. “He has not been an effective communicator on a whole host of issues and on the Sandusky matter — how he’s handled it has raised more questions.”

That communication problem is something Madonna said Corbett will have to address if he wants to put the issue behind him, the way perhaps Corbett’s Democratic predecessor Gov. Ed Rendell might have been able to.

Readers' Comments (23)

I was living in Pennsylvania at the time Corbett put out a witch hunt against the owner of Mount Airy Lodge, trying to tie him to mafia like dealings..this man is truly a disgusting, self righteous man except when it comes to his political gaining tactcs..i hope they get him for his ties to protecting that pedophile, Sandusky.

The Sandusky case notwithstanding, Corbett has proven himself a small time political opportunist and corporate shill always on the lookout for more feathers to line his wretched nest. Seems I recall that one of his campaign :pledges" was that he would only "serve" one term because his only concern was to correct all the wrong that had been committed against the people of Pa. I do hope that he runs in '14 so that his sordid history of malfeasance and personal hubris can be fully exposed especially since the reactionary legislature refuses to act on behalf of the peoples' interests and, as we all know, the US justice(?) dept. under Holder will do nothing to impede the progress of political and corporate corruption. Better to go after washed-up jocks for 'roid use or honest wistle blowers who expose the crimes of the "elites"! FREE BRADLEY MANNING!!!!!!!!

I'm from Southeast PA (ie the non-Pennsyl-tucky part of PA). I'm a Republican and I loathe Josh Shapiro. But Shapiro (or whatever warm body the Democrats run) WILL be getting my vote against Tom Corbett. I'll also be voting for Kathleen Kane this November. Lots of my GOP friends in Chester and Montgomery counties feel the exact same way.

I can not help but think that Corbett was influence by the >$600K he got from 2nd Mile Foundation trustees. I would also like to know why Corbett approved a $3,000,000 state grant to the 2nd Mile Foundation four months before a state grand jury issued criminal allegations against Sandusky, Curley and Schultz. Corbett was the PA AG through much of the investigation so he knew EVERYTHING.

I still can't believe no one is trying to solve the disappearance of Centre County DA Ray Gricar.

Kevin Harley, perhaps if the Governor had arrested Mr. Sandusky when he had evidence that he molested young boys rather than drag out an "investigation" for years, there wouldn't even be an opportunity for "re-victimization". Perhaps if he would have "remembered the children" rather than focus on some bonuses, there wouldn't have been an opportunity for "re-victimization".

Innocence has nothing to hide. Tell the boss to stop being so angry and open the books now that Jerry has been sentenced. Every day we see individuals detained with significantly less evidence. He failed, and children paid the price for his failure. And by the way, I am a registered Republican.

Putting politics aside for a moment there is plenty to look into on the way the Sandusky investigation was handled and also his charity. Governor Tom Corbett approved a three million dollar grant to the charity in July of 2011. This at a time when the Governor was slashing education budgets in the State a questionable charity that was being used to round up victims for Sandusky gets a $3M grant?

Our illustrious governor assigned one investigator to this inquiry. He was the attorney general of the state. Well, he was elected to be attorney general. What he actually did, I do no know. But I know he disregarded the Sandusky allegations and left a lot more young disadvantaged kids to become victims of Sandusky. Quite a guy, our governor. He doesn't do much besides try to disenfranchise the voters, make women's ******s the subject of state regulation, and try to supercede local zoning laws to open the entire state up to the frackers who have already proven to be irresponsible. Come to PA and watch the spigot water turn to fire. What a place.

Mikey123, I hate to bother you with facts, but the leadership at Penn State are HUGE Republicans, and Joe Paterno was well-known as a Republican supporter—and financial contributor. It's more likely Corbett sat on this because he didn't want to embarrass Paterno, et. al., and didn't want to turn of the political contribution spigot.

This is more liberal democrat hack spin. The Sandusky innvestigation existed long before Governor Corbett was ever elected Attorney General. How was Corbett as an incoming Attorney General micro-manage an existing high profile investigation which was under way before he was even a candidate for the office? Moreover, the case was being handled by a seasoned prosecutor so why would he second guess the prosecutor because it was already a on going investigation. Moreover, when Corbett became Governor the case came to a conclusion and Sandusky was arrested. What was Corbett supposed to do? micro manage an on going protracted investigation? Was Corbett supposed to order Sandusky's arrest when there was a senior prosecutor already on the case and several of the witnesses went back and forth with respect to the allegations? The only thing Corbett could have possibly done was to allow his senior proscutors handle a high profile case against a well healed suspected. These charges against Corbett are by liberal activist hacks and liberal media hacks who want to come in with a crystal ball explanation for a protracted and complicated investigation. People don't realized when you have suspect who has millions of dollars and who is well connected with every major institution and the witness are reluctant to come forward it's not like television and NYPD SVU. In the real world if you jump the gun and charge someone before you have all the evidence then an otherwise guilty person walks because his lawyer can raise reasonable doubt. All these arm chair prosecutors need to go back to their television clicker and tune in to the next episode of NYPD SVU and leave the real prosecuitions to the real prosecutors. As someone who has personally conducted thousands of criminal investigations I speak from experience in the field, from what perspective do these democrat liberal hacks speak from.

About this time one year ago (Sept 2011), the senior law enforcement authorities in Pennsylvania (the Governor, Attorney General & State Police Commissioner) sat idly by as Penn State returned Gary Shultz to the position for which in less than 6 weeks he would be criminally charged for the lack of execution in his responsibilities to protect children. The Governor (Executive head of the State Police, Penn State trustee, previous Attorney General for the first 2 years of the Sandusky investigation) was not able to stop Mr. Shultz from returning to the position for which he was about to be criminally charged? The Governor’s selection to replace him as the state’s attorney general could not prevent Mr. Shultz’s return? Normally officials in a position are temporarily reassigned while under investigation, not returned to the position. The State Police Commissioner (Frank Noonan) headed the criminal investigation division in the Attorney General’s office before being appointed as the PSP commissioner. He was extremely familiar with the Sandusky matter and he did not see need to intervene and prevent the PSU Board of Trustees (one of which was his boss the Governor) from returning Mr. Shultz to the role for which he as soon to be arrested?

The senior officials we were counting on for the administration of law enforcement in Pennsylvania failed to protect children. Mr. Shultz is soon to be tried for crimes for which he had 6 weeks of unfettered access to the evidence that could have potentially incriminated him prior to being arrested. The Governor (and former attorney general), current attorney general and state police commissioner stood ideally by while the case against Mr. Shultz was allowed to be compromised by allowing him to return to the office for which he was soon to be charged with crimes.

About this time one year ago (Sept 2011), the senior law enforcement authorities in Pennsylvania (the Governor, Attorney General & State Police Commissioner) sat idly by as Penn State returned Gary Shultz to the position for which in less than 6 weeks he would be criminally charged for the lack of execution in his responsibilities to protect children. The Governor (Executive head of the State Police, Penn State trustee, previous Attorney General for the first 2 years of the Sandusky investigation) was not able to stop Mr. Shultz from returning to the position for which he was about to be criminally charged? The Governor’s selection to replace him as the state’s attorney general could not prevent Mr. Shultz’s return? Normally officials in a position are temporarily reassigned while under investigation, not returned to the position. The State Police Commissioner (Frank Noonan) headed the criminal investigation division in the Attorney General’s office before being appointed as the PSP commissioner. He was extremely familiar with the Sandusky matter and he did not see need to intervene and prevent the PSU Board of Trustees (one of which was his boss the Governor) from returning Mr. Shultz to the role for which he as soon to be arrested?

The senior officials we were counting on for the administration of law enforcement in Pennsylvania failed to protect children. Mr. Shultz is soon to be tried for crimes for which he had 6 weeks of unfettered access to the evidence that could have potentially incriminated him prior to being arrested. The Governor (and former attorney general), current attorney general and state police commissioner stood ideally by while the case against Mr. Shultz was allowed to be compromised by allowing him to return to the office for which he was soon to be charged with crimes.

Yes, former Governor Rendell was also part of the problem, but no where near as significant a contributor to the problem as Attorney General and now Governor Corbett. The Pennsylvania State Police are under the governor, but don't be misled by stories that the new state police commissioner under Governor Corbett moved immediately to assign resources to the case. Frank Noonan the current state police commission came over from heading the office of criminal investigations at the state attorney general's office. This case was his baby and he had only one resource assigned to it while he worked for Attorney General Corbett. The case was breaking wide open by the time Commissioner Noonan took over and he had not choice but to add resources. It appears the lone state police corporal was the one who kept the case under investigation, but I don't believe his boss at he time (Governor Rendell) helped his efforts in any way.